Introduction
Most workers ignore protecting their rights when it comes to work injuries. There are several reasons for which people don’t want to protect their rights. One key reason is unawareness of their employee rights and another is they don’t know how workers’ compensation works.
As per the boca raton workers compensation lawyer, most employees are not aware of the processes of filing a workers’ compensation claim. It is the key reason for which people don’t get the compensation they deserved.
5 Easy Steps to File a Workers’ Compensation Claim
The following steps will help you file a workers’ compensation claim easily. Hiring a reputable lawyer can be useful in filing your claim.
1. You Need to Report the Injury to Your Employer
First of all, you need to report to the employer about the injury. There are various types of work injuries. It can be a slip and fall case or car accident in a company vehicle, cancer due to exposure to toxic gases in a factory, etc.
No matter what type of injury it is, if you think the injury is work-related, your first job is to inform the employer. If the injury is serious and requires immediate medical attention, you should go to the doctor and come with the medical report to file workers’ compensation claims.
2. The Employer Provides The Necessary Paperwork
After reporting, the employer provides you necessary paperwork. These include the following forms:
- The employer should provide the reporting forms for workers’ compensation insurance providers.
- As per the state law, it will also provide you with the workers’ compensation form for reporting to the state board.
- The employer will also provide the necessary information on your employee rights and benefits.
- Lastly, the employer will provide information on returning to work.
The employer should provide these details and forms to the employee based on the state law.
3. Filing the Workers’ Compensation Claim
Usually, the employer needs to file the workers’ compensation claim to the insurance company. Moreover, your doctor also needs to send the medical report as evidence.
Apart from that, the employer needs to provide the workers’ compensation documents to the state board. The employers may need to submit the documents even if employees don’t file any claim.
4. The Insurer Response to Your Claim
After the claim is filed by the employer, the insurer will determine whether the claim is valid. If the insurer determines that the claim is valid, it will contact you for payment. On the other hand, if it determines the claim as invalid, it denies compensation.
If the insurer accepts the claim, it will offer compensation to you. The compensation covers your medical bills, disability payments, portion of wage loss, etc. You can opt for a lump-sum settlement or an organized settlement. However, if the insurance company denies, you can ask to review the decision and also appeal for it.
5. You May Need to Hire a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
If the employer and insurer outright denies your compensation, you may need a personal injury lawyer to file a lawsuit. If you think the insurer is denying compensation without any valid reasons, you should hire a workers’ compensation lawyer.
Since insurance companies have their legal representative you cannot fight against them. Remember, you need to hire an experienced lawyer who handled such clients in the past.
Final Words
Hopefully, the above information has helped you to understand the process to file a workers’ compensation claim. If your employer or insurer denies you to pay your claims, hiring a lawyer can help you in this case. The lawyer can provide you proper guidance and also negotiate for a fair settlement.